The Key to Its Deliciousness is the Ingredients They Use. A Bakery in Yomitan Village “Otonariya” Makes People’s Everyday Lives Happy

Many incomers from Mainland Japan are living in Yomitan Village and there is a small but popular bakery called “Otonariya” in the village. It is big enough for 3 adults to fit in, but about 70 - 80 kinds of breads are available here.



Breads include croissant, melon pan (melon bread), cream pan (bread with cream inside), filled & stuffed bread with Okinawan ingredients, unique bread, whole-wheat healthy bread, vegetarian bread without animal product, and gluten-free bread. A variety of breads can be found here, so customers might have a hard time choosing what to buy.  



The reason for making a variety of breads is because the owner Takayuki Saito wants everybody to eat bread and be happy. What made him motivated to do it is his child who is allergic to daily products, egg, and wheat.



“Isn’t it sad that my child can’t eat bread that his/her father baked? But it made me reconsider the environment and ingredients to make bread.”



Now Saito uses organic wheat from Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Okinawa. He also uses rye from Germany and the U.S., Milk and butter from Hokkaido, and salt and brown sugar are from Okinawa. He chooses safe and secure ingredients as much as he can, including EM (Effective Microorganisms) egg which is known as “healthy and delicious.” 



Original raisin wild yeast is used to ferment bread (sometimes little amount yeast is added to make the dough to stabilize it). When it gets fermented in a short time, bread turns out as bland and dry and brittle. Since it is fermented for 20 hours at Otonariya, it helps to create delicious and sticky texture. Compare to short time fermentation, the dough does not get deteriorated.



The most popular bread is brown sugar flavored French toast called “Ryukyumatsu.” It is hard outside and soft inside. You can taste 2 different textures at the same time, and it must be good to have it with coffee or whiskey. 





“Jaga butter” with full of potatoes, “Dragon fruit jam & cream cheese sandwich,” and other unique bread that can be purchased only at Otonariya are lined up, and some customers come from far to buy such unique bread. Bread with seasonal ingredient is available as well. 



Saito always liked making bread since his childhood. After he graduated from high school, he was working at a bakery in the meantime while he was training to become a boxer. One day he thought about going on a trip to “discover himself.” He went to Hokkaido by bicycle, and it took 2 months and a half for him to get there. He involved in fishery there for few years then. After that, he traveled to India, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Probably the idea of unique bread that he makes came from his experience.  



African-American music coming from a speaker inside the bakery, and it creates a unique atmosphere. Saito himself loves music, and he told me “I feel happy to make bread while listening to my favorite music. It gets me bored by making same bread every day, so I want to come up with new ideas.” 



His one and only original bread might be continued to be lined up at Otonariya. Now I have a reason to go to Yomitan Village.

 

Otonariya
Address: 633-2 Senaha, Yomitan Village
Tel: 098-958-6260
Business Hours: 10:00-18:30 (closed when bread runs out)
Closed: Thu & Sun  


Okinawa CLIP photo writer Sachiko Tachi